Discover how DFE Pharma's lactose, starch and functional excipients help you develop compliant oral solid dose, dry powder inhalation and biopharmaceutical formulations, backed by dedicated formulation expertise.
DFE Pharma - a Global Specialist in Pharmaceutical Excipients
DFE Pharma, headquartered in Goch, Germany, is a global supplier of excipients for the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries. The company operates manufacturing sites across Europe, India and New Zealand, supported by sales offices worldwide, giving it a consistent global supply footprint for oral solid dose, inhalation and biologic formulation projects.
DFE Pharma's expertise centres on lactose, starch and other functional excipients used as fillers, binders, disintegrants and carriers. The company supplies manufacturers operating in tightly regulated environments, where consistent excipient quality and reliable supply are essential to formulation performance.
Through its partnership with DFE Pharma, IMCD combines this excipient portfolio and technical expertise with local market presence, pharmaceutical knowledge and established customer relationships, giving formulators easier access to DFE Pharma's materials alongside hands-on technical support.
Excipient Trends supporting DFE in Oral Solid Dose, Inhalation and Biopharmaceutical Development
DFE Pharma continues to develop its portfolio in response to regulatory and manufacturing developments across the pharmaceutical industry. Recent additions include EcoLact® 2030, a lactose portfolio launched with verified CO₂ data and value-chain traceability, offering a 30% reduction in CO₂ across the lactose range without changes to manufacturing processes, which helps manufacturers address Scope 3 emissions reporting.
The company has also strengthened its nitrosamine risk management by controlling nitrite values across its excipient portfolio and publishing technical work showing how excipient selection can reduce the risk of nitrosamine formation, an area of increasing regulatory scrutiny for oral solid dose products.
In early 2026, DFE Pharma launched a Continuous Manufacturing (CM) platform in collaboration with Gericke, combining CM-ready excipients with a flexible testing environment at its Closer to Formulator (C2F) Centre of Excellence in Hyderabad, India, to support formulation development, process optimisation and lifecycle management.
DFE Pharma Excipient Portfolio distributed by IMCD
DFE Pharma's portfolio spans lactose-based excipients, starches and biopharmaceutical-grade materials, each engineered for specific manufacturing processes and dosage forms. Through IMCD, customers gain access to a broad range of excipients for oral solid dosage (OSD), dry powder inhalation (DPI) and biopharmaceutical applications.
Oral Solid Dosage (OSD)
DFE Pharma offers a broad portfolio of lactose, starch and biopharmaceutical excipients supporting oral solid dosage, dry powder inhalation and biologic formulations. Through IMCD, customers benefit from access to proven excipients backed by technical expertise and formulation support.
- Direct compression lactose: SuperTab® and Lactopress® spray-dried and anhydrous lactose grades, including SuperTab® 11SD, 14SD, 30GR, 21AN, 22AN, 24AN, Lactopress® Spray Dried and Lactopress® Anhydrous, deliver excellent flowability, compactability and tablet performance.
- Milled and sieved lactose: Pharmatose® and Lactochem® portfolios provide highly consistent crystalline lactose monohydrate grades for wet granulation, capsule filling and extrusion applications.
- Superdisintegrants and starches: Primellose® (croscarmellose sodium), Primojel® (sodium starch glycolate), Solani Amylum® native potato starch and Prejel® PA 5 PH pregelatinised starch support rapid tablet disintegration, binding and formulation robustness.
Dry Powder Inhalation (DPI)
Respitose® and Lactohale® inhalation-grade lactose carriers are specifically developed for DPI formulations. Available in different particle-size distributions and flow properties, these grades help formulators optimise powder performance and API delivery.
Biopharmaceutical Applications
BioHale® Trehalose Dihydrate and BioHale® Sucrose are high-purity, low-endotoxin excipients designed to stabilise sensitive biologics in parenteral, inhalation, oral and ophthalmic formulations.
Interested in learning more about the DFE Pharma portfolio and IMCD partnership? Fill in the form and one of our experts will contact you to discuss your formulation requirements.
Technical Collaboration and Local Support through IMCD
IMCD's technical teams work alongside DFE Pharma's formulation experts to support customers with excipient selection, material characterisation and formulation troubleshooting. This collaboration helps manufacturers move from early-stage formulation concepts to validated, production-ready processes, with local technical and regulatory support available throughout.
Discover our solutions developed in IMCD's Pharmaceutical Technical Centres:
- Apixaban coated tablet
- Gliclazide Modified-Release Tablet
- Canagliflozin and Metformin Hydrochloride Modified-Release Tablet
Learn more in our DFE Pharma Q&A
Which excipient should I choose for direct compression?
DFE Pharma offers several solutions depending on the required balance between flowability, compactability, tablet strength and API properties, including SuperTab® and Lactopress®.
What is the difference between SuperTab® and Pharmatose®?
Both are lactose-based portfolios, but different grades are designed for different processing requirements, particle-size distributions and compaction behaviour. The choice depends on the formulation and manufacturing process.
Which lactose is best for moisture-sensitive APIs?
Anhydrous lactose, such as SuperTab® AN/Lactopress® Anhydrous, is particularly suitable because it does not contain crystal water and offers excellent compactability. It is also well suited to dry granulation because of its ability to re-compact.
Which excipients are suitable for ODT and mini-tablet formulations?
DFE Pharma offers specialised solutions such as SuperTab® 50 ODT for rapid disintegration, and SuperTab® 40LL for mini-tablets requiring superior compactibility and carrying capacity, alongside other directly compressible excipients selected for the required mechanical properties.
What is the difference between Respitose® and Lactohale®?
Both are inhalation-grade lactose portfolios. DFE Pharma offers milled and sieved grades with different particle-size distributions, cohesiveness and flow properties, allowing the carrier to be matched to the API and inhaler/device, with co-development and customisation available for inhalation-grade lactose.
What is BioHale® used for?
BioHale® Sucrose and BioHale® Trehalose Dihydrate are high-purity, low-endotoxin excipients for biopharmaceutical formulations. They can be used for parenteral, inhalation, oral and ophthalmic applications and are particularly relevant for the stabilisation of biologics.
Need Support Selecting the Right Excipient?
Our pharmaceutical specialists can help you identify the optimal DFE Pharma grade for direct compression, inhalation, biologic stabilisation, or process optimisation. Request technical guidance, samples, or documentation today.
With a portfolio spanning direct compression, inhalation and biopharmaceutical excipients, DFE Pharma supports formulators from early development through to commercial manufacturing.
